A devastating monsoon season has taken the lives of over 1,400 people and left thousands in South Asia displaced and in need of immediate assistance. Plan International is on the ground improving access to life-saving materials including food, water, blankets, mosquito nets, hygiene kits and temporary provision of education services.

When disaster strikes, one of the first things children lose is the ability to continue going to school.

“I have not been going to school for the last few weeks and I don’t know when I will go again,” says Lipi, a girl impacted by the floods in Bangladesh.

Lipi, 13, has been displaced by the Bangladesh floods.

Plan International has created safe spaces for children and is supporting the re-opening of schools, so children can resume their education as quickly as possible.

We are currently working in Nepal, India and Bangladesh; please see below a brief description of the situation in each respective country and our response.

NEPAL

Monsoon rains have claimed the lives of more than 140 people and displaced thousands of families whose homes have been destroyed or damaged. Plan International is distributing food items, tarpaulins for temporary shelter and providing psycho-social support/counseling alongside setting up child-friendly spaces for thousands of families across five affected districts.

Khusbu, 8, displaced by floods in Nepal.

In the chaos of crisis, girls are often the most vulnerable victims of disasters and require specific support to ensure their protection and safety, which can often be compromised in an emergency. They are at a higher risk of experiencing sexual violence and harassment, becoming pregnant, being pulled out of school, trafficked or forced into an early marriage.

In Nepal, time is of the essence when it comes to emergency response: children and especially girls, will remain at risk if they continue to live in tents and temporary shelters without adequate access to water, food, sanitation and protection.

INDIA

In India, flooding has submerged thousands of homes, inundated hundreds of thousands of hectors of agricultural lands and caused significant damage to schools.

Flooding in Assam has submerged thousands of homes, agricultural lands and caused damage to neighbouring schools.

In Assam, Plan International is prioritizing the distribution of safe drinking water, food, hygiene kits and educational materials. The response team is setting up child-friendly spaces to ensure that during this time of distress, children have a safe space to not only play and heal, but to also regain a sense of normalcy in their lives.

In Bihar, millions of people have been impacted by the floods across 19 districts. Access to communities continues to pose a huge challenge. Plan International is working with its local partners to closely monitor the situation while determining immediate needs of affected families.

BANGLADESH

Flooding has devastated the northern districts in Bangladesh, affecting more than 7 million people. A third of the country is under water as it’s the worst flooding Bangladesh has seen in 40 years. Thousands of schools have been damaged and 1,000 of these remain closed; almost all village-level roads remain inundated.

Plan International has installed three water treatment plants and distributed more than 5,000 liters of clean drinking water and water purification tablets in Bangladesh.

Through funding from the Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund (CHAF), Plan International is working with local partners to provide more than 10,000 people with access to essential hygiene items, clean drinking water and safe sanitation facilities.

Given our work in Asia over the last 80 years, Plan International is well positioned to work with local governments and organizations to provide fast and effective assistance in the affected areas. We will continue to put the protection of children at the center of our work by supporting families and helping communities rebuild after the floods.

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About Plan International

Founded in 1937, we are one of the world’s oldest and largest international development agencies, working in partnership with millions of people around the world to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, we have only one agenda: to improve the lives of children.